Come follow me

Questions about Permanent Diaconate

Q What are the signs that God might be calling me to the
Permanent Diaconate?

A The permanent diaconate is open to both single and married men. If a married man
is thinking about the permanent diaconate it is essential that he discerns this
vocation with his wife, so that it is a decision made within the unity of one’s
marriage. For the married man ordination to the diaconate is meant to grow out
of and complement his marriage. These are just some signs that God might be
calling you to the permanent diaconate, some of the ways that God might be
guiding you in your life. It is the overall pattern that is important. The
paragraphs about marriage obviously apply only to those who are married. If you
are interested in finding out more about the permanent diaconate then talk to
your parish priest or get in touch with the Director for Permanent Deacons in
your home diocese.

A stable and supportive marriage. No marriage is perfect, but you and your wife
must have a solid and supportive relationship. There are no major issues in your
marriage that make it hard for you to communicate with each other or live your
Catholic faith with integrity. You are able to make this decision about
ordination together in a mature way. You both believe that the commitment to the
diaconate, in the time of formation and in the ministry itself, will not be an
unnecessary burden for your marriage and family, but rather an enrichment.

A commitment to your Catholic faith and to your prayer life.
You love your faith
and it has been an important part of your life for a long time. You treasure it
for yourself, you have made time to grow in your understanding of the faith, and
you long to share it with others. You try to pray within the circumstances of
your working life. You value prayer. You appreciate in a personal way the
importance of the sacraments, especially of the Mass.

A commitment to family and work. You love and care for your wife and family,
despite the inevitable struggles. You are faithful to your responsibilities at
work and you are able to give generously of your time and yourself whenever
there is need.

A desire to serve. You have already shown a commitment to serve others in
different ways, in the parish or in other voluntary situations. You have the
time and energy and proven capacity to work for others and to work willingly.
You have a desire to serve others more wholeheartedly, as a vocation. You are
drawn especially to the service you see in the lives of deacons: assisting at
the altar in the sacramental celebrations, preaching and teaching God’s Word,
leading people in prayer, and serving others in the ministry of charity. This
will extend especially to the poor and the marginalized; and one of your
particular responsibilities as a deacon will be to bring their needs to the
notice of your parish and the wider church.

Human qualities. You have all the human qualities that will allow you to be a
worthy minister in God’s Church. You have the emotional and psychological
maturity to take on a new and demanding role. You are able to take the lead, and
you have experience in different leadership roles. You can work well with others
and win their respect.

The encouragement of others. Other people in the parish encourage you to think
about the diaconate, or support you when you discuss the idea. They can see you
in this ministry; they can imagine that you would do it well and that you would
find happiness in it.

The encouragement of your parish priest.A key person in your discernment and in
supporting you will be your parish priest. If he believes that you are being
called to the permanent diaconate, and if he supports you in your application,
then this is a very positive sign.

The place of celibacy.A single man commits himself to
lifelong celibacy from the moment of his ordination as a permanent deacon.
A married man does not - he
continues to live the fullness of his marriage - but he makes a promise that if
his wife dies before him he will remain celibate and will not remarry. This is a
very serious commitment, especially if there are young children in the family
and there is an anxiety about how they might be brought up or cared for should
their mother die.

A The diaconate is also a sacrament of ordination. The
permanent deacon, who may be single or married, dedicates his life to serving
others. His ministry of service focuses on three areas: assisting at the
altar in the celebration of the sacraments; preaching the Word of God and
leading people in prayer; and reaching out in loving service to the practical
and spiritual needs of others, especially of the poor and those outside the
normal confines of the Church. Traditionally the permanent deacon works closely
with his diocesan bishop. Most permanent deacons, in practice, serve the greater
part of their time within their home parish. But there are many who work as
chaplains in schools, prisons, hospitals, etc. Others are in full-time
employment where their work is itself ‘diaconal’: teachers, social workers,
nurses, doctors, etc. Their ordination brings a specific grace that allows their life of service to be
consecrated in a special way.

A Right from New Testament times it was so. The Acts of the Apostles 6: 2-4 tell
us about the selection of St Stephen and six others:

The twelve summoned the disciples and said; ‘It is not right that we should give
up preaching the Word of God to serve tables Therefore brothers, pick out seven
men of good repute full of the spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this
duty.”

Some Deacons are transitory – that is, they are ordained for a relatively short
time as part of their journey to Ordination as a Priest. Indeed over time this
became the norm in the Church until the Second Vatican Council.

Some Deacons are Permanent. They remain in this calling for the rest of their
lives. They can be single or married. This is how it was in the early Church.

If single, they take a promise of celibacy when they are ordained and they live
from then on as celibates.

If married, they may not remarry should their spouse predecease them.

In 1964 the Church recognised a need in the modern world for the diaconal role.
So she decided to return to the practise of the first Christian communities and
ordain deacons for life-long service.

In 1972 Pope Paul VI stated that the permanent diaconate should be a driving
force for the Church’s service towards the local Christian communities as well
as a sign or sacrament of the Lord Jesus himself who came not to be served but
to serve.

A
Single men over 35 who feel a call to service of the Church and the World who
also feel called to a celibate life.

Married men over 40. Most of these candidates will be in the world of work and
will continue there after ordination.
Indeed it is the role of the permanent deacon to have one foot in the sanctuary
and the other in the workplace.

The men will have demonstrated the necessary maturity for a life-long
commitment.

They will be prepared to embark on a 3 year course of formation.

They will be already working collaboratively with priests and lay-people in the
local church in works of service and exercising some leadership roles.

Above all, they will be men of faith and prayer with a desire to serve others
for the sake of God’s Kingdom.